Stranger in a Strange State: The Politics of Carpetbagging from Robert Kennedy to Scott Brown

Description

Examines why some politicians take the drastic step of becoming a carpetbagger and how that shapes their campaigns and chances for victory. Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Chapter 1 Don’t Be a Stranger Chapter 2 Representation, Localism, Ambition, and Party The Original Carpetbaggers Representation The Politics of Presence: Representation and Place Ambition and Party Actors State Characteristics Candidate Characteristics Chapter 3 Robert Kennedy: New York, 1964 Carpetbagging in Kennedy’s Career Context New York Politics in 1964 Party Actors The Carpetbagger with Experience A Democratic Electorate in a Republican State Bobby Kennedy’s New York The Keating Record Analyzing the Results Chapter 4 Hillary Rodham Clinton: New York, 2000 The New York Campaign in Clinton’s Career Context State Party Actors Geography and Demography Overcoming the Carpetbagger Label The Opposition Proximity to Power New York States of Mind National Trends Analyzing the Results Discussion Chapter 5 Two Would-Be Two-State Senators James L. Buckley: Connecticut, 1980 Bill Brock: Maryland, 1994 Discussion Chapter 6 Four Lesser-Known Carpetbaggers Endicott Peabody: New Hampshire, 1986 Alan Keyes: Illinois, 2004 Harold Ford Jr.: New York, 2010 Elizabeth Cheney: Wyoming, 2014 Discussion Chapter 7 Scott Brown: New Hampshire, 2014 Scott Brown in the Wilderness A Party without Options “Long and Strong Ties” The Primary and General Elections Unforced Errors Results and Discussion Conclusion Advice to the Would-Be Carpetbagger Recommendations to a Party Considering Importing a Carpetbagger Life after Carpetbagging Notes Bibliography Index